Nightmares
by Hazuki Suzumura
Summary: OZ finds himself in a the abyss again, fighting through twisted, dangerous dreams, after a nice night in Gil's arms... Gil seeps in and out of that nightarish place in the form of a shadow, and watches Oz suffer, unable to help. Will Oz survive?
1. Abyss

Attentive fingertips brushed across my skin lightly, arousing me from my slumber. Everything was feather-light. The graceful hands caressing me quivered gently upon my flesh. I sighed happily, so perfectly at peace with the situation. Everything was right. Just perfect.

A soft voice breathed into my ear, "Oz, My oz, wake up." Who was calling me? A deep tenor voice reverberated through the room, bouncy around the walls. Comforting, but…wrong. Why was it wrong? That voice called my name again and again, drifting further away each time. I wretched open my eyes, suddenly aware that I was no longer being cradled to a strong chest. The glowing warmth fell dead into a ghastly chill, like a dungeons deadly whisper. It was dark, filled with a shying murk. Fog drifted between my fingers, and held like cobwebs. What was this place? Cackles filled the air. A set of dolls encircled me, laughing madly in a ridiculing snicker. They were so tall, seeming to grow higher and higher by each moment. Perhaps I was shrinking? Either way, I did not have much time to ponder upon that. The floor fell from underneath me, and a rushing sweep of air began to descend. I tried to grasp onto any crevice of the mountainous doll pile, but they all swatted at me playfully. I fell, toppling through the dark, menacing hole.

I landed on a moving clock hand, turning counter-clockwise. A glow shimmered around the floating object. I slipped as it moved ever quickly. Another dashing attempt to hold on failed completely and I fell once more farther down from the light into the dank cleft. I plummeted onto a lumpy floor of patchworks. Luminosity leaked from beneath my feet, beckoning me to stay, and gaze at its seduction. I turned away. A black figure sprang into life from the shadows; sprinting further down into the abyss. He chuckled in the same deep chuckle as the man before in my dreams. I jumped and followed him with a yearning and guilt churning in my stomach. An ache began to throb within me, but I ran feverishly neverless. Once I reached the shadow-man, he tumbled into a ball, seeming to be ailed by excruciating pain. I tried to untangle him enough to see if I could help, to no avail. After what seemed like hours of failed attempts, he collapsed onto the ground. I saw what had harmed him. A burning thorn from a nightshade was lunged into his side. He seeped black, sticky blood. He groaned and then fell into a lethal sleep.

As I wept tearless sobs for him, my surrounding changed dramatically. Instead of darkness, a background of a mirthful manor was around me, and the grayscale shades lifted into color gradually. The ground of patchwork was a quilt upon a bed, reflecting subtle light filtering though the bay window overlooking the garden. I looked down upon the stranger, grotesquely curious to how he changed as well. The sight froze me. An emotion of disbelief, and fear thrilled through me. The "stranger" was sprawled out beside me on the quilt, his rich scarlet blood still soaking through the white. His mass of ink-black hair shadowed his face. I lifted my quavering hands to touch his forehead lightly, and grazed his bangs. I was too worried of what lie beneath them to uncover them. I silently prayed for a different face to be upon this man, for him to not be-. I took a deep breath and uncovered him.

Searching golden eyes met mine, and, through parted lips, a hoarse, "Oz" was whispered. Before any emotion stuck me, the man closed his eyes, and crumpled in upon himself ineptly. No living man could contort himself in such a position. I was frozen. My hand was still raising his curls, my eyes still looking at him, not seeing. Gil. Gil was. I began to scream, recoiling from the pain that racked ferociously though my figure. Gil was, Gil was- Inhuman strings of sounds splintered though the air, but I couldn't hear it. It was just him and I. Except he….he was……


	2. Relief

Urgent, pleading whispers were next to me, but I ignored them. Gil was, he was-. Hands shook me softly, but my eyes stayed locked closed. The hands gave up and reached for my forehead, covering it in their grasp. I stopped. My hands unclenched, and I reached for them. The hands seemed uncertain and wary, but let me take them. I traced the crevice lines of the hands carefully; false hope would earn me nothing. The voice never stopped. I decided to listen.

"Oz, Oz? Are you ok? What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare? I could take you to the doctor, I could-" Each detached sentence was conveyed by a deep tenor encased in honey-sweet sound. Something stirred within me. I knew things should be slicking together, but I was numb and didn't care. He was gone. There was nothing worth doing now. Doing nothing was much safer from doing something after all. Gil.

I wouldn't ever able to tease him, or thank him, or see his blush again. I wish I could've told him my feelings, even if he rejected me, as he would. Who would want me, the unloved, vile brat? Yep, no one is right. No one would, but Gil was always there for me, for whatever reason. He was my best friend, my largest crush, my greatest servant. And now he was-

The worried, rushing words began again. They just repeated the same thing over and over again. I didn't listen; I gave the voice its chance to entertain me. It didn't, so why now should I pay attention again? I realized that I still held his hand; I let it drop, and then returned to my ball position.

The hand didn't leave me alone to wallop in my numb sorrow though. They both pestered me, trying to unlock me in some manner. Finally I awoke. An unexpected fury propelled me forth, and I scrambled outward of myself. My eyes flickered open, and I flexed my muscles, preparing them for the attack. I froze. Worried and wary, golden eyes looked down open me, covered by a mass of tangled, unruly raven-colored hair. A large hand wavered over my shoulder, seeming confused at what to do at this point. The man was sprawled out awkwardly on the bed next to me, surrounded by a semi-dark, but comfortable room. We were at Break's manor. And Gil was, Gil was-.

Gil. Gil was alive. I had been dreaming. Gil. Was. Alive.

Emotions continued to claw at my though, and I shivered out weeps of confused happiness. Gil held onto me, as I fell into his lap; in attempts to comfort me, he would caress me, ruffle my hair, and speak strings of words I didn't catch. I didn't settle down though. I shook with mangled, remnants of fear, leftover from my nightmare. I knew it was humiliating, and pride-less to be acting this way, but I couldn't stop. Cool happiness brimmed over, along with a rush of relief.

I began to hack out giggles. Gil looked at me incredulously, his hand unmoving on my head. I wondered if he was worrying about me now, curious on whether my sanity was still intact or not.

"Gil?," I strangled out. He unfroze, and straightened at the sound of his name. "I-I….I had a nightmare…..that you were…you were….d-d-d"

He put his mouth to my hair, and whispered, "It's ok, I'm here, and I always will be. You don't have to worry Oz. I'll be here for you, no matter what. Cause i-" He caught himself with a gasp, and clapped his mouth shut.

My despair lifted a little bit, and the warmth of his blush. I smiled through my hot tears. "You what, Gil," I asked innocently.

"Nothing Oz, I just, I promise will be here for you." I began to get rather annoyed. He wasn't telling me, his master!

I struggled around on his lap, so I could look at his face. "Gil….you were just about to say something….what were you going to say?" It was something important I could tell.

He began to life me off his leg; he was going to run away. I help m position though, and he sighed and gave up.

"It was nothing-mmrff."

I put my lips to his for just a moment in desperation, to make sure he was there, to heal myself, and to shut him up. Gil was much cuter blushing; he should do it more often. Gladly I was here, to bestow blushes to him, they are just so cute!

He didn't kiss back, I didn't stop. I just kissed his immobile lips thourougly, teasing and tasting ever crevice of his mouth. It wasn't romantic to me. I, of course, have always loved him, but this kiss wasn't out of love, but out of need and friendship. I didn't realize how Gil would take it.

Finally, Gil pushed me off him, and I slid back and looked at him. While wiping my saliva on my sleeve, I watched his emotions flicker across his face; disbelief, anger, sadness, inquisitiveness. I was curious at his reactions, and crept closer.

"Oz," he said quietly. His face settled onto a worried, blanched-spotted emotion.

"Uh-huuh!~" I replied happily, now forgetting my nightmare and previous fears, this was much more exiting.

"What was that," his voice was chilly, I tried to remember what he may be thinking of. He didn't mean the kiss did he? _**The kiss**_?! Omg! I kissed him! My eyes shot open.

"I-um…." I couldn't answer. I KISSED him! I didn't even realize, or think of it like that! What is he thinking?! Does he not want to be my servant anymore? What would I do if he-

"Nothing…. I'm sorry Gil, I was just-. I just needed you there, I didn't think of it as a-…..I'm sorry if it disgusted you, I just wanted-….just forget it, sorry to put you through that." I looked down, ashamed. I couldn't stand to see into his eyes, and read his sure repulsion.

He put his fingers underneath my chin, and lifter my gaze unwillingly. "I'll forget that, if you want, but, young master, I don't know if I believe you. It meant nothing? I believe it meant something. Did it mean that you trusted me enough to do that, even if you were hazy from waking up? Oz…. I enjoyed it. If you want, you can forget I said that, but I really do-. I'm happy being your best friend, and I will never,_ never, _be upset for anything but your safety. You're the most important person to me, Oz, and nothing as simple as a kiss between best friends will break that bond." I was stunned, eagerly trying to make sense of his long dialogue. He hugged me while I thought.

He was saying that he wasn't upset from the kiss, which was a good thing, right? Did he actually say he enjoyed it? I must've imagined that! Gil could have any girl he wanted, he was really, really cute. But it's true; he's never left my side since I had returned from the abyss…. Did he actually l-love me; impossible. We were best friends, but he did imply….

"Gil," I asked, looking up.

"Yes?" He sounded….worried?

I took a deep breath, and concentrated on Gil and I, just us together, away from everyone and everything else, forever. "Do you like-like me?"

He looked shaken, even though he was the one who had implied such just a second ago….could this mean that he really didn't like me?

"U-mmmm...Ye-ye-yes… I-uh…really..,"He took a deep breath, and blurted out the rest, "I've loved you since I met you Oz, since forever! I really, really, really care for you more than anything!" With that, I leaned into a deeper kiss, which he eagerly returned.


End file.
